Shopping online is a great way of avoiding the crowds and the cold when Christmas comes around and Facebook are looking to make the process even more efficient with their new Gifts feature.

With Facebook Gifts users will be able to select a gift and arrange payment and delivery all from within the platform. The feature was made available to everyone in the US on December 11th and rollout has included the addition of Gift buttons to user pro/wp-content/uploads/files in the mobile app.

The process is straightforward, users pick a gift and add a personal message, the recipient then enters their own shipping info and can swap for a different size, style or flavor before shipping.

The service boasts a number of high pro/wp-content/uploads/file partners including L’Occitane, Lindt and Starbucks. Users are also able to send digital gifts such as TV Shows and music with subscriptions to services such as Hulu Plus, Pandora and Rdio. Furthermore, in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, Facebook added a charitable gifts feature allowing users to donate to non-profits such as American Red Cross, Kiva and Oxfam on behalf of recipients.

It’s not yet clear when we will see the Gifts feature rolled out in the UK but companies looking to increase their social pro/wp-content/uploads/file would do well to consider the possibilities afforded by becoming a partner in the Facebook Gifts platform. The streamlining of the sales funnel combined with the right product and the right marketing mix could result in a significant boost to sales, especially during the Christmas rush when shoppers are looking for alternatives to the high street.